Air-operate hair clipping device



April 23, 1957 D. H. MEFFORD ET AL AIR-OPERATED HAIR CLIPPING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 7, 1953 FIG. L.

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JAMES, E: ME

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AIR-OPERATED HAIR CLIPPING DEVICE Daufus H. Mefiord, Bluefield, W. Va., and James E. Melford, Richmond, Va.

Application August 7, 1953, Serial No. 373,032 2 Claims. (Cl. 253-38) This invention relates to a hair cutting or clipping device, and more particularly has reference to a device of this type adapted to be powered by air drawn therethrough by a suitable means such as a vacuum pump or the equivalent mechanism.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a generally improved clipping device of the character stated, which can be connected detachably to the air inlet end of a hose leading to a vacuum cleaner or the like, the clipping device constituting the present invention being so designed as to make efficient use of air sucked therethrough for reciprocating a movable cutter head relative to a stationary cutter head.

Another object of importance is to provide an improved motion-translating connection between the reciprocating cutter head and a rotating turbine mounted within the casing, thus to cause high speed reciprocation of said cutter head and thereby improve measurably the cutting action thereof.

Another object of importance is to provide, in an airoperated clipping device, an improved means for controlling the rate at which the cutter head is reciprocated, the casing being provided, to this end, with air inlet ports each of which has a movable closure mounted adjacent thereto, said closure being capable of being adjustably po-. sitioned relative to the ports for the purpose of controlling the size of the air inlet opening defined by said ports.

Another object is to provide, in a clipping device as described, partitioning means at one end of the casing of the device, which partitioning means will divide the casing at said one end into an air inlet passage and a chamber in which the cutter head drive mechanism may be mounted, the cutter head being so disposed relative to the inlet end of the air passage as to cause hair cut by said head to be drawn through the passage.

Yet another object is to provide a hair clipping device as described wherein anair-operated turbine is rotatably mounted adjacent a stationary series of spirally arranged bafiles or deflectors, said baffies or deflectors being so disposed as to changethe course of air drawn through the casing so as to direct said air directly against the blades of the turbine.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure ,1 is atop plarrview;

' Figure 2 is a side elevational view; 1 .Figure 3 is a perspective view, a hose to a vacuum pump being illustrated fragmentarily;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view on line 4-4 of Figure l;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view on line 5-5 of Figure 4; M

; Figu'rez-fiis. a transverse sectional view on linef66 of Figure 5, showing the means for controlling the amount of air drawn through the casing; andnited States Patent" 2,789,786 Patented Apr. 23, 1957 ice? Figure 7 is a transverse sectional view on line 77 of Figure 5, showing the rotating turbine.

The reference numeral 10 has been applied generally in the several figures of the drawing to designate a hollow, generally cylindrical casing, which can be formed of light sheet metal or the like. Thecasing is so designed as to have an inner or outlet end adapted for detachable connection to the inlet end of a hose 12 extending to a vacuum cleaner, vacuum pump, or equivalent mechanlsm.

The casing 10 includes, at its inner end, a cylindrical shell 14, one end of which abuts against a main casing portion 16. The main casing portion 16, at its inner end, has a reduced extension 18 adapted to fit into the adjacent end of the shell 14, the reduced extension serving to provide a circumferential shoulder on the main casing portion against which the shell 14 abuts. The lapping portions of the shell and extension 18 have registering openings, receiving screws 20, whereby the shell 14 and main casing portion are detachably connected. It will be understood that the shell 14 would ordinarily remain permananently associated with the hose 12, the portion 16 being detachably connected to the shell 14 in the manner shown in Figures 3 and 5 whenever the hair clipping device is to be used.

That portion of the casing adjacent the extension 18 is thickened as at 22, and rigidly mounted on said thickened portion, within the casing, is a spider 24 having a centrally disposed bearing recess 26 in which is journaled one end of an elongated shaft 28. The shaft 28 is disposed longitudinally and centrally of the casing, and secured fixedly to said shaft, for the purpose of rotating the same, is a turbine 30. The turbine 30 has uniformly spaced, spirally pitched blades located in the path of air drawn through the casing, and circumposed about the shaft adjacent the turbine 30 is a battle assembly 32. Assembly 32 comprises a circumferential series of uniform- 1y spaced battles (see Figure 6) so pitched as to change the course of air moving past the bafiie assembly, thereby to direct the air against the spirally pitched blades of the rotating turbine 30.

At its center, the bafile assembly has an opening through which the shaft passes, said opening being of such a diameter as not to interfere with the rotation of the shaft in any way.

Disposed forwardly of and located in closely spaced relation to the baffle assembly 32 is a pair of circumferentially extending air inlet ports or slots 34. These are disposed diametrically opposite one another as best shown inFigure 6, and controlling the movement of air into said ports-or slots is an arcuate closure 36 slidably mounted upon the outer surface of the casing. The closure 36 is formed as a curved strip of sheet metal material or the like, said strip being provided, at selected locations spaced longitudinally thereof, with obliquely extending ears 33 (Figure 2). Rivets or screws 40 extend through slots formed in the ears 38 into the wall of the casing, to provide means carried by the casing On which the closure 36 is movably mounted. The closure 36, when partially rotated upon the casing, is biased longitudinally of the easing into position over the air inlet ports or slots 34, thus to either close said slots entirelyor partially close the same. In this way, the movement of air through the slots into the casing is accurately controlled, it being understood that the speed of rotation of the turbine 30 will be correspondingly controlled, by selective positioning of the closure 36.

At its inlet end, the casing has an outwardly offset hood portion 42, and within the casing, in spaced relation to said hood portion, a longitudinal partition 44 is fixedly mounted. The partition 44 and the hood portion 42 cooperate to define therebetween an air inlet passage, the

inlet end of said passage being flattened as best shown in Figures 1 and 3. It will be understood that on the setting up of a vacuum condition within the hose 12, -.,air-wi1l be drawn ,at ,high speed through the passage defined between hood ,portionAZ and partition '44, past .the turbine 39, thereby to rotate said turbine. Air will also be .drawn inwardly .through the .air inlet ports or 8101534, to supplement the air passing into the casing through said :passage. The overall quantity of air passing the turbine 30 is, as previously noted herein, controlledby adjustable positioningof the closure 36.

Within the casing, at the inner end of the longitudinal partition 44, we provide a transverse partition 46, the partition 46 cooperating with the; par tition 44in defining a chamber adjacent the air inlet passage, in which chamber the drive mechanism of the device can be mounted.

The partition46 has a center opening, and circumposed about said :center opening is a gland 48,for lubricating the shaft during the rotation of the same.

That end of the casing at which the hood portion 42 is provided .hasan obliquely disposed end wall 50, said end wall having a boss 52 integral therewith. The boss 52 is integral with an axial extension or shaft bearing member .54 having a recess receiving that end of shaft 28 remote from the spider.

Adjacent the bearing member 54, we fixedly secure to the shaft, for rotation therewith, a worm 56 meshing with a worm wheel 58 rotatably mounted in the casing. Worm wheel 58, for example, can have a spindle or stub shaft 6 fixedly secured thereto, said stub shaft being journaled in a socket formed in a worm wheel support portion 62.

Eccentricall y disposed upon the worm wheel is a pin 6+3, extending into a closed, longitudinal slot formed in the widened inner-end 66 of an arm 68 pivotally mounted intermediate its ends as at 70 upon the boss 52. In the outer end of the arm 68 a closed, longitudinal slot '72 is formed, and extending into said slot 72 is a lug 74 upstanding from one of a pair of spaced cars 76 integ ally for ed upon a movable cutter head. The ears 76 are disposed within spaced recesses provided in the 1205s .52, the .Bnd -;walls .of said recesses limiting move rnentpf :the ears 76 in oppositetdirections therein.

The cutter head to which the ears '76 are integrally attached hasv been designated by the reference numeral 80, and is formed as an elongated, fiat bar arranged transversely ofythe casing, said bar sliding upon the outer surface of the obliquely disposed end wall 50. The cutter head 80, for its fulllength, has .a series of cutting teeth, said teeth extending into the path of air drawn into the inlet passage of the casing. The cutter head 80 is reciprocated over the face of a stationary cutter head 82,-the .cutter head 82 beingrecessed to receive the movable cutter head J80. Cutter head 82 has, for its full length, a series of teeth over which the teeth of the movable cutter head areshifted at high speed, the stationary and movable teeth cooperating to cut hair when the device is in use.

The hair, of course, will be drawn into the air inlet passage due to the disposition of the teeth at the inlet end of said passage, the cut hair thus being drawn into thedust bag or equivalent receptacle of the vacuum cleaner or other device on which the hair clipper is mounted.

It is important to note that the particular construction illustrated and described is adapted to facilitate the attachment of the clipping device directly to the conventional fitting provided at the inlet end of an ordinary vacuum cleaner hose. The hair clipping device can thus comprise an accessory for a vacuum cleaner, and can be used to advantage in clipping hair efiiciently and at low cost.

It is also thought to bean important characteristic of the invention that the arrangement facilitates the control of the speed of the rotation of the turbine 30, this characteristic obtaining by reason of the provision of the air inlet ports 34 used to supplement the main inlet defined by the passage formed by hood portion 42 and longitudinal partition 44.

Still further, it is thought to be an important feature of the invention that an association with the rotary turbine, there is provided a fixed bafile assembly which is so designed as to cause air to be :directed broadside against the several spirally pitched blades of the turbine, thereby to increase the efiiciency of 'said turbine during use of the device.

Still further, the particular partitioning arrangement shown at 44, 46 is thought to have an important advantage, in that it defines an air inlet passage that is wholly separate from the motion-translating drive mechanism connected between the turbine and cutter head, said drive mechanism being wholly confined in an area through which air will not pass, and within which the cut hair will not lodge, except perhaps to a minor extent.

ltis believed apparent :that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it-may be-utilized for any-purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is theinvention to be necessarily limited to :the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devisedtocarry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. ,A motor and control assembly for an air-operated hair clipper comprising: a hollow, open-ended casing forming an air duct for the passage of air therethrough; turbine means mounted in said casing :for rotation by air drawn throughthe casing, the casing having intermediate its ends, circumferentially extending slots providing air inlet ports; an elongated closure mounted upon and extending circumferentially of the casing adjacent the re spective air inlet ports, for movement vacross the ports selected distances, in a direction having both a transverse and longitudinal component in respect to the ports, thereby .to :vary the .open area of the ports and thus control .the speed of rotation of said turbine.

2. A motor and control assembly for an air-operated hair clipper comprising: a hollow, open-ended casing forming an air .duct for the passage of air therethrough; turbine :means mounted in said casing for rotation by air drawn through the-casing, the casing having intermediate its ends, circu-rnferentially extending slots providing air inlet ports; and a plurality of closures corresponding in number to the respective air inlet ports, each closure being longitudinallycurved and being mounted upon the outside of the casing in position to extend circumferentially of the casing adjacent the respective ports, "each closure extending :at its opposite ends beyond the corresponding ends of the port adjacent thereto, each closure being formed at its ends with laterally projected ears extending transversely of the adjacent port beyond the opposite ends of the port, each closure having parallel slots in the respective ears thereof extending obliquely to the lengths of the closure and of its associated port, the casing including pins extending radially outwardly therefrom through the slots of the closure, whereby to mount the closures upon the casing for movement across the ports selected distances inpa' direction having both a transverse an longitudinal component in respect to the ports, for varying the open area of the ports and thus regulating .the speed of the turbine.

References-Cited in the fileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS (Other references on'following page) 5 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 1,064,053 Coyle June 10, 1913 43,434 Denmark Dec. 1, 1930 1,878,747 Youngblood Sept. 20, 1932 216,557 Germany Nov. 23, 1909 2,044,830 Carlstedt June 23, 1936 549,704 Germany Apr. 30, 1932 2,292,453 La Mere Aug. 11, 1942 2,690,293 Muhlberg Sept. 28, 1954 2,703,904 De Long Mar. 15, 1955 

